Author
Topic: Got My Moose (Read 765 times)

Got a bull the first afternoon of our hunt. We got camp set up Sunday afternoon and had a couple hours for an evening hunt. My nephew had the only action that evening, he called in a bull but didn't see him. The bull was coming to him through the timber and he could hear him grunting and could hear his antlers on the trees but darkness came before the bull came out.

Next morning my wife and I headed out to the same spot. I got set up and started calling, 40 minutes later a bull steps out on the pipeline right of way about a 1000 yards out. He stood there on the edge of the timber looking around so I cow called and he looked right at us and then started walking out onto the pipeline. I called again and he started walking to us and then stopped at about 800 yards. So I call again and he starts to trot right to us and I pick out a spot where I'll shoot him. We lost sight of him for about a minute where he went behind a swell in the pipeline. When I saw him next he was at 600 yards and on the opposite side of the line on the edge of the timber. I took a chance and called again but he stepped into the timber, we waited an hour but he never showed. We decided to head back to camp for breakfast and to see how the other guys did. They saw a ton of deer but no moose.

After breakfast I headed out on my own to a spot I've seen moose in the past, I wasn't disappointed. I had just set up to do some calling when I hear a cow calling from across the river. After glassing for a couple of minutes I spot her on the edge of the timber standing between some willow clumps. The willows behind her are moving and out steps the bull and he stops in front of her, I range him at 190 yards. Using my pack as a rest I put the cross hairs behind his shoulder and touch off a shot. At the shot the bull bucks and heads for the river. With the cow now running in the lead they cross the river and head into a spruce grove in a beaver meadow. The cow comes out the other side but not the bull, awesome I think, they just saved me a river crossing and a 100 yards less to get that bull out.

I head down to where I saw them cross the river and find where they came out, it took me about 5 minutes to find blood and follow it to the downed bull. My heart sank a little when I found him, the brute died in a deep beaver run full of water. I headed back to camp to get help, lots of help!!

This is where I found him

part of the recovery team, my wife and nephew

Me on the left, my nephew and a good friend.

3 months prior to this pic being taken, my nephew had broke his back in 2 places and fractured his C1 in a mountain bike accident. He was ecstatic to be in on this hunt. I partnered him on my tag.